The Presidency Building (or the Building of the Presidency; sh, Zgrada Predsjedništva / Зграда Предсједништва) is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine, separator=" / ", Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is a three-member body which collectively serves as head of state of ...

, located in the Centar Municipality of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. The

Bosnian government The Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, whereby executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Legislative power is vested in both the Cou ...

departments are also located there, including the Archive of Bosnia and Herzegovina and some government ministries.

History

After the

Austro-Hungarian campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 The campaign to establish Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted from 29 July to 20 October 1878 against the local resistance fighters supported by the Ottoman Empire. The Austro-Hungarian Army entered the country in two large m ...

, the occupational administration required a headquarters in central

to house various staff and military personnel. The new government building was commissioned by the first

mayor of Sarajevo This is a list of people who have served as mayor or president of the city council of the city of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo has had 38 different mayors in 39 different mayorships since the position was created on 22 ...

Mustafa Fadilpašić Mustafa-beg Fadilpašić (born Mustafa Šerifović; 6 September 1830 – 6 December 1892) was the first Mayor of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was appointed mayor in 1878 after more than 14,000 Austro-Hungarian troops, led by Josip Filipo ...

and designed by architect

Josip Vancaš Josip Vancaš (22 March 1859 – 15 December 1932) was an Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav architect who spent most of his career in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, where he designed over two hundred buildings. He also designed important buildings in p ...

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

, and was constructed from 1884 to 1886. The building remained as the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian regime in the area, housing government and military departments, as well as law courts and ceremonial rooms. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the building became the government headquarters of the

Drina Banovina The Drina Banovina or Drina Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Drinska banovina, Дринска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. Its capital was Sarajevo and it included porti ...

province in the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the building became the official residence of the President of the

Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

(within

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

), as well as the home of the Executive Committee of the People's Assembly. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

, the building was used by the

Supreme Command of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Supreme Command of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (''Štab Vrhovne Komande Armije Republike Bosne i Hercegovine'') was the supreme command of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and it was headquartered in the ...

as its military headquarters. The building suffered external and internal damage during the war which has subsequently been restored. Since 1996, the building has been used as the official residence of the collective

. All of the collective

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...

use the building as their main residence in Sarajevo, as well as their ceremonial and working office. Some

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

departments are also located there, including the Archive of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The building is also used for state and ceremonial functions, as well as receptions and meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries and heads of state. During the

2014 unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina The 2014 unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a series of demonstrations and riots that began in the northern town of Tuzla on 4 February 2014 but quickly spread to multiple cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Sarajevo, Zenica, Mostar, Jaj ...

, the windows of the Presidency Building were broken with stones thrown by protesters who viewed the structure as a potent symbol of Bosnia and Herzegovina's chronic dysfunction; part of the building was also set on fire.

Gallery

File:Sarajevo,_Presidency_(interior).jpg, Presidency, interiors File:Sarajevo BH-Presidency 2011-10-31 (3).jpg, Presidency, side street File:Sarajevo Tram-Stop Park 2011-11-08 (2).jpg, Presidency

References

External links

*
Presidency Building information from the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
{{Sarajevo Official residences Buildings and structures in Sarajevo Houses completed in 1886 Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Josip Vancaš buildings National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina Official residences in Europe Office buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina